Inner Stillness
Pillar No. 6
Find a pocket of quiet for your mental health
It is hard to find a spiritual or mental health path that does not include sitting in stillness for a period of time each day - even for 10 minutes. Here is why:
Silence creates the conditions for clarity, connection and healing.
Silence helps you hear what’s underneath the noise. Our lives are filled with distractions, both external (phones, media, responsibilities) and internal (anxious thoughts, self-judgment, mental to-do lists). When you sit in silence, surface noise starts to settle, revealing deeper layers of emotion, intuition and the truth that is usually drowned out.
Many spiritual traditions believe that the Divine - or our higher self - speaks in a whisper. That whisper can’t compete with the volume of daily life. Sitting in silence is an act of tuning in, like adjusting a radio dial to pick up a subtler, more beautiful frequency.
When you sit in silence, you observe your thoughts, rather than being swept away by them. This builds “witness mind” - the part of you that doesn’t react - but simply sees.
Silence interrupts the story that our worth is tied to productivity. Silence says you don’t have to do, fix or prove anything right now - you are enough, as you are.
Busyness often suppresses unprocessed emotions. In silence, those feelings may arise - but in a spacious, compassionate container. You’re not avoiding or analyzing. You’re letting them breathe - and that’s how they heal.
From a mental health perspective, silence (especially combined with breath awareness) activates the parasympathetic nervous system - the “rest and digest” state. Over time, this reduces stress, anxiety and burnout.
In a world obsessed with stimulation, silence is where you reclaim your energy, realign with your values and reconnect with what matters most. Silence isn’t empty - it’s full of answers.